Do You Want To Lose Weight Without Going Crazy?

Here's what to do if you want to wear that slinky black dress, and stay sane:

1. Make sure that you're not being neurotic and overly body conscious.

Meditate. Try to catch yourself naked unawares in a full length mirror. Find out your ideal height-weight ratio. Get some amateur photos taken of yourself in casual clothes. Try to be detached and objective.

Overweight is sometimes a state of mind instead of body. What trauma or childhood inadequacy causes you to see yourself as fat and undesirable, when medically you're normal, or just a little full figured?

If you are definitely a fatty:

2. Meditate. Try to home in on the reason you are overweight.

Is it genetic; are your family 'big-boned'? If not, what need are you trying to fill by stuffing yourself; are you anxious, insecure, do you have family or money or sexual troubles? If so deal with THEM and your need to eat will be easier to beat.

Eating is pleasurable; we get a rush of blood sugar which makes us temporarily feel good, and having a full stomach makes us feel sleepy and calmed down. Are you going for the effect rather than the nourishment?

3. Change your diet.

Eat simpler, less processed, less over-prepared and overcooked food.

Get back to the basics. Substitute fruit for candies, wholemeal bread and boiled potatoes for potato chips, lean steak for burgers, water instead of fizzy drinks.

Eat a grape or a piece of orange instead of a candy; you get a better 'buzz', and it's healthier for you. Another benefit of eating whole, natural food is you fill up quickly, while eating less. The horror of junk food is that it's got loads of fats and sugars in it while not being physically substantial; you can eat ounces of fat in seconds.

Basically, if a chimp wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't eat it. Yes, I KNOW a chimp could probably get hooked on junk food. All right, try this; if an athlete preparing for a track meeting wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't.

Have three meals a day only. Have a proper breakfast; people tend to skip this and then have snacks later to keep themselves going. This is folly.

NO snacks in between; let your belly growl. You're going to train it to need less. It will protest, as it's used to being big, but it will adjust in time.

Stay away from people and places which remind you of your old treats. Try not to let on you're dieting; your 'friends' will try to get you off it, or tempt you for fun.

4. Take more exercise.

You can do light exercise, or better yet work it into your daily routine.

Don't walk when you can run, don't run where you could cycle, leave the car in the garage. Do more household chores the hard way. Take the stairs instead of the lift.

If your work or chores involve exercise it's easy to get your subconscious to go along with it. It seems less of a trial, and you're killing two birds with one stone.

Exercise for it's own sake is hard; part of us can see no immediate gain to doing it, and puts up mental and emotional barriers.

Clean your house, jog to the shops, dig the garden, explore your locale on foot.

Exercise at home. Do push ups, pull ups, sit-ups, use a couple of chairs as dumb-bells. It's a bother and an expense to go to a gym; set up your own routine at home, and stick to it five days out of every seven.

5. Do not take special medications or diet foods if you can help it.

Diet medications are usually amphetamine or stimulant-based; they perk you up, so you don't feel depressed or hungry. Soldiers use amphetamines in war; they keep you keen, and you don't feel hungry. The trouble is you become physically addicted to them, instead of food, and you're worse off in the end. They rot your body and your mind, and you have exchanged one fixation for another, more urgent one.

Eating food supplements will take off the pounds; you'll lose a few pounds to begin with in ANY diet anyway. However, what will happen when you stop eating this expensive food substitute? Unless your will power is engaged, you'll revert to your old habits.

Losing weight involves an act of WILL. If you're the sort of person who diets for a bit and then 'rewards' yourself with a cream cake, WHO are you trying to fool? Your subconscious, your friends? You won't fool the bathroom scales, or that dress you're trying to get into.

Perhaps part of you would like to be slim, especially on public occasions. The other, deeper, part wants to gorge itself on WHATever it likes, WHENever it likes. Eating is lovely, isn't it? It may be your one consolation in an otherwise miserable life.

To fix your weight, fix the other problems in your life, then staying off the snacks will be much easier.

This involves finding out what vocation you have in life. What do you REALLY want to do? If it's nothing, then that's fine. Once you acknowledge this, you'll find your peace of mind improves, and your craving for food will be less.

Otherwise find some activity you can devote yourself to, that engages your whole being.

Eating is often a recreation; find a nobler one.

About the author: T. O' Donnell (http://www.tigertom.com) is an ecommerce consultant in London, UK. His latest projects include a mortgage calculator and ebook, available at http://www.tigertom.com/mortgages-uk.shtml

---

Fast Weight Loss Secret Revealed ? Move it or Lose it!

Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More

Winning the Battle of the Bulge: Successful Strategies

Let's take a look at how your attitudes and perceptions... Read More

How To Measure Body Fat

When it all comes down to losing or gaining weight,... Read More

Health Secrets of Cayenne

For many years, herbalists believe that Cayenne is the most... Read More

Obesity Shortens Life Expectancy

Steady gains made in improvement in life expectancy may be... Read More

Magnetic Weight Loss -- Does It Work?

Magnetic weight loss is the newest fad diet supplement to... Read More

Lose Weight on Hips and Thighs: A Quest for Slimmer Hips and Thighs!

Losing weight on hips and thighs has always been a... Read More

Carbohydrates: Why Size Matters

If I collected a dime for each time I've seen... Read More

The Most Effective Fat Burning And Muscle Building Workout That Takes Just 13 Minutes

Most people who want to burn off some excess pounds... Read More

Best Weight Loss Strategy

If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on... Read More

Body Dysmorphia: Mind Games After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Maybe you've heard about body dysmorphia ? it's a mental... Read More

Eating On The Run For Weight Loss

"I'm too busy!" "I'm always on the run." "I... Read More

Liberate Your Set Esteem and Lose Weight

Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet... Read More

Why Does the Weight Come Back?

Before many Australians recently, a devastating story unfolded on a... Read More

Ancient Olympians Followed Atkins Diet

Atkins diet was unknown 35 years ago. Though it seems... Read More

Gastric Bypass Patients at Risk for Stomach Blockage: How to Avoid This

In a gastric bypass the connection between he stomach pouch... Read More

Weight Loss Advice ? What Makes a GREAT Personal Trainer?

If you are trying to lose weight you may find... Read More

Are You Losing Weight and Getting Fatter?

Your Can Turn Fat into Muscle......Fact or Fiction???Completely False!!!!First of... Read More

Mindfulness - The Key to Avoiding Overeating

I made myself a sandwich today and thought I'd be... Read More

Successful WLS Patients Make Right Their Nutritional Wellness

It seems there are two schools of behavior patients follow... Read More

6 Everyday Tips For Losing Weight

1. Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot... Read More

Diet and Exercise Evolution: Water: 65% of Your Body Cant be Wrong

The Liver The function of your kidneys is to filter... Read More

Understanding the Glycemic Index

Things get so confusing when it comes to understanding what... Read More

The Truth About Weight Loss Marketing

Weight loss, diets and "carbs" are common household topics. There... Read More

Mexican Living: Too Dang Fat!

I thought I could avoid this when we moved to... Read More

Government Against Diets

The Government of the Australian state of Victoria has started... Read More

Ive Been Dieting for Five Minutes - Am I Thin Yet?

When Instant Results Take TimeYesterday I decided to "get back... Read More

Diet and Exercise Evolution: Adaptation (part I) -- Theory

Adaptation is the most important concept I teach. The human... Read More

Dont Just Melt Fat Off - Burn It Off With A Blow Torch!

Cardio Exercise...A huge variety of fitness activities provide cardiovascular benefits.... Read More

The Type Of Food and Nutrition That Can Help You Lose Weight Fast

The following are diet tips that can help you shape... Read More

Weight Loss: Its Not Always What You Eat, But What You Dont Eat

On a little island half way in between Guam and... Read More

Exercise and Weight Loss for Life - The Magic Formula Doctors DONT Want You to Know!

In twenty years of consistant exercising, maintaining a low percentage... Read More

Why Did Your Diet Fail You? Or Did You Fail Your Diet?

Are you someone who has, in the past, been on... Read More